L0301P34 - Introduction to Human Health and Behaviour
Health *“wholeness’ *varies greatly between individuals **age, gender, personality Models of Health and Illness Stone Age *trephination (trepanation) **hole made in the skull in order for evil spirits to leave the ailing body *disease attributed to evil spirits Hippocrates *balance between four circulating bodily fluids/humours **yellow bile (irritable) **phlegm (calm) **blood (sanguine) **black bile (melancholic) *humours were related to the individuals personality *pathogen would disrupt the balance *acknowledged that bodily factors impacted on the mind Galen *advanced Hippocrates theory *temperament could contribute to the experience of specific illnesses Religious *health became tied to faith and spirituality *illness was God’s punishment for misdeeds *treatment involved prayer, self-punishment Renaissance *scientific revolution *Descartes - proposed that the body and mind were separate entities *physicians were responsible for the body and theologians/church for the mind *dualists model *mechanistic model *treatment became more technical, diagnostic and focused on the body’s internal workings Sigmund Freud Model *redefined the mind-body problem as one of “consciousness” *led to development of psychosomatic medicine *postulated existence of the “unconscious mind” and its desires **physical disturbances seen in patients for whom no underlying physical explanation was present ***includes hysteria, paralysis, loss of sensation Biomedical Model *symptom of illness is considered to have an underlying pathology that will, hopefully, but not inevitably, be cured through medical intervention *leads to proponents dealing with objective facts, ignoring the fact that people respond ins different ways to in the same disease *Reductionist review **all mind, matter and human behaviour can be reduced to and explained at the level of cells, neural activity or biochemical activity *removal of the pathology will lead to restored health Biopsychosocial Model *current model of health *illnesses have organic underlying causes, but elicit uniquely individual responses due to action of the mind *social cultural environment, personality, life *explains how the placebo effect works Other Less Common Models *supernatural and religious causes *fate *idiosyncratic, personal theories **not always scientifically validated *failure to observe social norms **links between mind, spirit and the body Bauman’s Study of Health *asked “what does being healthy mean?” *thee main types of response: **general sense of wellbeing **absence of symptoms of disease **able to the things that person who is physically fit is able to do *perceptions are individually subjective **depends on health, age. social contributions Baxter Health and Lifestyles Survey Questions *think of someone you know who is very healthy *define who you are thinking of (friend/relative) *note how old they are *consider what makes you call them healthy *consider what it is like when you are healthy Results *15% people who could not think of anyone who was very healthy *10% could not describe what it was like for them to feel healthy Findings - Categories of Health *as not ill **no symptoms, no visits to doctor *as reserve **come from a strong family, recovers quickly form operation *as behaviour **applied to others rather than self **are able to look after themselves etc *as physical fitness and vitality **used by younger respondents **feeling fit and full of energy **in terms of being lively and having good relationships with others *as psychosocial wellbeing **in terms of the person’s mental state **being in harmony, feeling proud, enjoying others *as function **ability to perform one’s duties without being handicapped in any way by health limitations But must note that this is all relative Relativity Cultural Influences *western - medicalised *others - home treatments Age *perception of health generally declines with increase of age Definition of Health *WHO definition - discriminates those with disabilities, chronic illnesses etc *WONCA - physical and emotional assessment for health Australian Study - Hunter *found eight attributes of health: **physical (energy, maintenance) **psychological (engagement) **intellectual/cognitive **spiritual **occupational **social **environmental Psychology *scientific study of mental and behavioural functioning (mind, brain, behaviour) *aims to describe, explain, predict and where possible intervene to control or modify behavioural and mental processes Health Psychology *studies the relationships between psychological factors (e.g. behaviours, beliefs) and health, illness and healthcare practice *develop our understanding of biopsychosocial factors involved in: **the promotion and maintenance of heath **improving healthcare systems and health policy **the prevention and treatment of illness **the causes of illness (vulnerability, risk factors) Medical Psychology *mechanistic medical model *underlying impairment causes some symptoms that requires treatment/cure in order to enable a return to normal health Behavioural Medicine *examines the development and integration of behavioural and biomedical knowledge and techniques of relevance to health and illness